Pakistan’s blue economy: seafood exports can hit $2bn with right policies

KARACHI: As Pakistan secures four-year US export approval for seafood, experts say fostering value-added seafood products can bolster Pakistan’s blue economy, as can ‘aquaculture’ and ‘aquatourism’.

‘Value-added’ refers to processing, modifying, or enhancing raw seafood products to increase their market value, consumer appeal, shelf life, or convenience. This could mean cleaning, gutting, filleting, peeling, and freezing the produce, or breading, marinating, canning or even smoking it.

Sindh Additional Secretary Technical Livestock and Fisheries Dr Ali Mohammad Mastoi told Business Recorder: “Aquaculture (farming of aquatic organisms) and aquatourism (tourism activities that take place in or on water-based environments) can transform the maritime economy and raise it to billions of dollars in a couple of years, if all-out efforts are sincerely made“.

’We can scale up our fish stock through aquaculture and attract local and international tourists through aquatourism,“ he said.

“We should disseminate awareness about them and explore huge business opportunities on the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan by setting up aquaculture and spots for aquatourism including water-based recreational activities,” he added.

Meanwhile Friends Food Export Company’s Manager R&D Shah Mehran said Pakistan’s exports in terms of overall seafood products is approximately $500 million annually, of which $2 million comes from the US.

“We can enhance overall seafood exports to $2 billion in three to four years. Exports to the US can be increased to $500 million from $2 million annually if we improve hygienic conditions and follow international standards including rules and regulations.“

There are two processing plants in the country - Friends Food Export Company and Seagreen Enterprises - which are allowed to export to European countries. Others are not permitted due to unhygienic condition and not following proper guidelines set by international organistaions.

Pakistan already exports to China, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, US, Japan and others. However, there is potential to significantly increase these exports.

Mehran explained that Pakistan exports frozen fish to China without value-addition. Chinese importers then do “proper value-addition” and export the seafood to other countries for more money, an opportunity Pakistan should tap into.

Europe could also be a major potential market for value-added seafood, as people prefer products which are ready for cooking. Russia, too, should be looked into, he said.

He believes Pakistan needs state-of-the-art plants for value-added seafood products and visionary exporters.

Currently, seafood exporters are uneducated and happy to be earning in dollars as opposed to rupees, without the incentives to improve standards.

Policy makers of the country must remove hindrances like poor boats, unhygienic conditions, he said. Above all they should train and encourage fishermen to ensure sanitation, adopt new techniques such as Ikejime (Japanese technique to preserve the quality of seafood and enhance shelf life), and focus on catching highly expensive fish like the bluefin tuna instead of just going after bulk fish.

It is also worth noting that the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s survey 2015 was quoted as saying that approximately 40% to 80% of diverse species under the sea in Pakistan have migrated as sewage and polluted waste of industries and residential areas take a heavy toll on the sea’s ecosystem.